DIONYSUS Directed by Tadashi Suzuki Suzuki Company of Toga & Purnati Indonesia (Japan/Indonesia)
17 & 18 May Fri, 8pm Sat, 3pm & 8pm Victoria Theatre
Photo by Dian P. Susilaradeya. Courtesy of Purnati Indonesia 2018.
1h 15m, no intermission
MESSAGE FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR When I was appointed as the new Festival Director for Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) last year, one of the central tenets of the curation process we put in place was to present work by game-changing artists. From the outset of my three-year tenure, it was important to me that SIFA challenges audiences intellectually, emotionally and artistically, allowing them to experience works they would not normally have a chance to see in Singapore. Last year, I found myself huddled amid the sand dunes and pine forests of Terschelling Island off the north coast of The Netherlands, to watch Bedtime Stories, a brilliant one-man show which we are bringing to SIFA this year. It reminds us that powerful stories can be told with the simplest of tools - in this case, the actor’s voice. Or through elaborate work such as the cross-cultural, multi-faceted Dionysus by Tadashi Suzuki. Game-changing artists and work exist everywhere – it is our mission to find them and bring them to you. This season, SIFA 2019 is proud to present provocative and challenging works by artists from Singapore and abroad. Our local Festival commissions explore contemporary issues and daringly bring to the spotlight lesser-known facets of Asian history and culture. Toy Factory will realise its innovative re-interpretation of a beloved Ming play. Checkpoint Theatre delves into the realities of the humanitarian aid industry, while Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen investigates some of Southeast Asia’s most shadowy historical figures. On the international front, SIFA is delighted to welcome to our shores works by worldrenowned theatre directors Tadashi Suzuki and Simon McBurney, legendary musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Bill Frisell, and groundbreaking choreographers Gisèle Vienne and Sasha Waltz.
SIFA 2019 audiences can also expect to see a greater range of multidisciplinary work that defies easy classification, from pushing boundaries between theatre and dance in ST/LL by Japanese artist Shiro Takatani, to the use of virtual reality and binaural sound in Frogman by UK company curious directive. SIFA will also present Silo Theatre’s Peter and the Wolf for families, as well as free outdoor performances in non-traditional venues for audiences of all ages. Festival House will be back this year, as the epicentre of SIFA 2019. Here, audiences and artistes can extend their engagement with the Festival beyond the performance, as well as engage with each other, through a range of talks, workshops and master-classes to delve deeper into the themes and perspectives of each show. SIFA 2019 would not have been possible without the support of CEO Sarah Martin; our three extraordinary producers – Junmin, Rydwan and Sara; and the phenomenal team at Arts House Limited. I would like to thank each of them for their dedication and passion. Finally, I would like to warmly welcome you, our audience, to SIFA 2019. We look forward to taking you on this exciting journey with us.
Gaurav Kripalani Festival Director
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO What does the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) mean to you? A doorway to the world’s performances out there? An escape from the routine of everyday life? An opportunity to indulge your curiosity? Or something more? It would not be unusual for each of you to take away something different from the Festival. When I look back at my years attending the Festival, what stands out in my memory are thrilling moments of discovering a work or artist that slowly built my own love for festival making. In everything we do, SIFA brings audiences and artists on a personal journey, creating a shared experience across different touch-points with a wider community of art lovers, international and local artists. Every edition of the Festival is also unique and contributes to the development of Singapore’s cultural landscape. 2018 was an encouraging year, with SIFA seeing heartening growth in the number of new – and especially – younger audiences. I believe this is a testament to the success of Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani’s balanced curatorial approach, emphasising diverse works with multiple levels of accessibility.
In 2019, the 42nd Singapore International Festival of the Arts will continue to enrich the spectrum of audience experiences with a diversity of artistic genres and innovative platforms. Over 17 days, SIFA will showcase a spectrum of world-class performances by game-changing artists, alongside a range of distinctive multi-disciplinary works. As one of the cultural peaks of Singapore’s arts calendar, the Festival will allow audiences to engage with a fascinating range of contemporary issues and create avenues for critical dialogue. The Arts House will once again transform into our Festival House, a unique gathering point to share ideas and viewpoints and to engage with the artists on a more intimate level. Working behind the scenes at SIFA are many passionate individuals who have been critical to the Festival’s success over the years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has played their part in shaping SIFA, and to Gaurav for leading the Festival to new artistic heights. I hope you leave this year with a fresh perspective of what the Festival means to you, and with wonderful memories of your own personal discoveries. Sarah Martin CEO, Arts House Limited
DIRECTOR’S NOTE ON DIONYSUS In 1990 I created this production based on Euripides’ The Bacchae, changing the title to Dionysus. Dionysus is, in fact, the god who appears on stage during The Bacchae. Making his entrance in human form, the god engages in a heated argument with Pentheus, the king of Thebes, who refuses to recognise Dionysus’ divinity. Pentheus, as a result, is killed. My interpretation and subsequent staging of this ancient drama developed through my particular point of view on the act of storytelling. The phenomenon of processing experience into stories or narratives has always played an important role in human life. Some stories exist within a group consciously as myths, legends, fairy tales and so on, and their role in society is relatively obvious. But it is possible to put more sublime entities such as belief systems, ideologies, and even history itself into the realm of story. A “story”, in this sense, is a configuration of information and feelings within a given community that justifies its existence. Stories essentially function as a cohesive element in society, physically and spiritually unifying individuals into communities. They can also give structure and form to rebellion against a community and provide a way to deal with communal oppression. Throughout human history, the persistence of the story phenomenon has always found its strongest manifestations in the form of religion and totalitarian government. While these uses of story can save or give hope to countless people, they can just as easily be turned into tools for suppression. Story can even bind unwilling individuals to a group through spiritual chains. Story is thus a double-edged sword. Within each of us, as within all humankind, exists the potential either to be drawn to the comfort and cohesion offered by stories, or, contrarily, toward the willful desire to rebel against the repression that results from them. In order to fulfil their function as the unifying element for a group, stories require a sacrifice or a scapegoat. Stories cannot sustain themselves without the existence of such a victim. Euripides’ The Bacchae shows the process by which individuals are “scapegoated” out of the narrative world. The moment Agave realises the head she holds is that of her son, she perceives with devastating clarity that they have both become scapegoats. She leaves her world and begins a journey towards the opposite pole.
Although Euripides has Dionysus appear on stage and speak his lines as a character, in my production of Dionysus, the god’s words are assigned to a group of priests. The interpretation here is that the god Dionysus never existed as such; rather a group, with a communal need for unity and the will to spiritually influence the masses, created a “story” called “Dionysus”. The conflict between Dionysus and Pentheus is not a battle between god and man; it is an altercation between a religious sect and a political authority. What we see is a drama of conflict between two communal value systems that exist on the same plane. To date, I’ve collaborated with actors from many different countries in a variety of productions of Dionysus. However, it wasn’t until this collaboration with Indonesian actors that I’ve felt the work truly achieved my vision of the play. Beginning with Ms Restu I. Kusumaningrum, I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all the Indonesian team, as well as to the Japan Foundation for their support in the creation of this production. Tadashi Suzuki
Courtesy of Suzuki Company of Toga
INDONESIAN PRODUCER’S NOTE LOOKING THROUGH MR SUZUKI’S EYES Summer 2015 at Toga Art Park of Toyama Prefecture.... After meeting Mr. Suzuki who visited Bali Purnati referred by my friend, Kameron Steele, who intended to bring Indonesian traditional performing artists to perform at the SCOT Summer Festival 2015, I finally paid a visit to Suzuki Company of Toga training centre in the beautiful Toyama mountainous region. There I watched all six performances of SCOT which left a huge impression on me, despite differences in spoken language. The nature surrounding Toga, the architecture, the well-managed art centre, and the activities really did not leave any doubts why it was called The Mecca of Theatre. Thousands of eyes watched the annual summer event in anticipation and there were parallel events such as workshops in Suzuki Method of actor training, discussions, and presentations from young artists from all over the world. Toga was really breathing “theatre” and what immeasurable contribution to world theatre! My visit to Toga coincided with Japan Foundation program to invite Indonesian theatre artists to take part in the Suzuki Method of Actor Training for 50th Anniversary of Tadashi Suzuki in performing art and there, I met Bambang Prihadi for the first time. He uttered a quite challenging statement, that Indonesia needed special attention and strategies to increase the potential in performing art, especially theatre. Apparently we had the same concern. I have long since left the theatre world because I was disappointed. I feel a peculiar loneliness in theatre, due to lack of new and young actors who have loyalty, dedication and big dreams. I realize, modernization is something I cannot deny, but the effect to the world of performing art is very profound: a gap between audience and performance gets bigger, thus appreciation of theatre as performing art has become a rare thing. From a short visit to Toga, I started to dream of creating a conducive environment to support Indonesian young artists who would be willing to work hard and with honesty.
Toga was blanketed in five meters snow in the final year of Dionysus’s preparation.... Meeting Mr. Suzuki and watching what he has done for performing art, especially theatre, was really an inspiration. When finally we agreed to produce a play with a joint cast and creative team, I realised the journey would be long and not at all easy. We were to build a house, which foundation was laid by the very hands of one of world’s greatest theatre maestro, who is still giving out extraordinary energy despite of his age and who is very generous with his art and imagination that transcends beyond geographical boundaries. We spoke one language, the language that is universal and often more honest in its undertaking: the language of art, proven by times to be more eloquent and meaningful. I don’t think written words is suffice to express my deepest gratitude to this wonderful opportunity. I will never ever forget the valuable experiences I had with SCOT, the actors, the institution and especially my deepest bow to Mr. Suzuki Tadashi who has shared his knowledge, his passion and be a role model that we all need in understanding what dedication and hard work mean. Thank you very much. Restu Imansari Kusumaningrun
DIONYSUS Arranged and directed by Tadashi Suzuki By Euripides Pentheus, King of Thebes Agave, Pentheus’ mother Cadmus, Pentheus’ grandfather Priests of Dionysus Cult
Female believers of Dionysus Cult
Music Costume design Assistant director Stage manager Lighting staff Sound staff Stage staff Costume staff Trainer Interpreter Production coordinator Assistant production coordinator Promotion and media Producer
Tian Chong Naito Chieko Jamaluddin Latif Ari Dwianto Washadi Mohamad Aditia Anwari A. A. Pahar Dian N. Saputra Seftino A. Sambalao Sugiyanti Ariani Hildawati S. Dexara Hachika D. Asti Wulanjani Sarah Nurmala Kito Risa Takada Midori Tadashi Suzuki Auguste Soesastro Takemori Yoichi Bambang Prihadi Shiohara Michitomo Niwa Makoto Kobayashi Junya Ueta Daisuke Mitsuda Toshimi Steele Kameron Holt Hanggardha Priyahita Anak Agung Iswara Fang Xin Wiwit Roswita Shigemasa Yoshie Sonoda Shoko Bangkit Sanjaya e.a. natanegara Tara Sutrisno Restu I. Kusumaningrum
Produced by The Japan Foundation Asia Center, Suzuki Company of Toga, Purnati Indonesia Programme Partner
SYNOPSIS This drama is adapted from an ancient Greek tragedy The Bacchae authored by the Athenian playwright Euripides. Dionysus (God of Wine) intends to punish Pentheus (King of Thebes). So he allures souls of the women in Thebes one by one (including Pentheus’ mother Agave), and then arrives at Mount Cithaeron. Pentheus is also fascinated and directed to the women’s carnival banquet on Mount Cithaeron. However, he is torn to pieces by the admirers. Delirious, Agave carries Pentheus’ head and leaves. She wakes up only to find that her son is dead. At this time, she is aware that she has become a scapegoat… Adaptation and Director : Tadashi Suzuki Text based on The Bacchae by Euripides
Photo by Dian P. Susilaradeya. Courtesy of Purnati Indonesia 2018.
CULTURE IS THE BODY, THEATRE AS A MEDIUM Training and culture: brief notes of Suzuki Method for Actor Training During the 2018 Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT) Sumer Season, in a public Question and Answer session in which Suzuki dialogued with the audience, a young man, probably a university student, asked him about the Suzuki Method for Actor Training, and why SCOT actors continue to train even after being in the company for many years. Suzuki invited the young man onstage and asked if he could squat stably. With some effort, the young man got into a squat, and tried to keep himself stable. Suzuki suddenly gave him a little push on one side of his shoulders. The young man toppled over, much to the amusement of the audience. Suzuki considers the creation of the Suzuki Method for Actor Training one of his major achievements as a theatre artist. The Method is renowned in the theatre world and is taught in drama schools and departments all over the world. Suzuki’s Method is grounded upon his observation that the human body must learn to consciously control the key physical functions required to achieve its daily needs; the most important of which are: energy production, breath calibration, and center of gravity control. The more one is able to fluidly expand the process of producing energy, taking in oxygen and controlling one’s center of gravity, the more variety and range of movements will become possible to one. It is important to note that training exist not only to develop these key capacities independently, but also to deepen their interrelation. In Suzuki’s view, the art of acting is founded on disciplines that deepen an awareness of these three crucial, interrelated, “invisible” phenomena. The objective of Suzuki’s Method is to make the actor aware of the physical sensibilities that have atrophied in his or her daily life, and to reinvigorate these dulled corporeal sensitivities. Training allows the actor, as a specialist on the use of the body and voice, to cultivate flexibility and sensitivity in identifying and playing with the myriad of sensations of being onstage. Suzuki’s little push on the young man’s shoulder serves as a diagnosis on his capacity to control his center of gravity. It also reveals the general unconscious atrophy of physical capacities and sensitivities. We are generally not aware of our incapability, and may even naively assume our capability, until we are put to test. This is something I became keenly aware of in my experience of the training. My confidence of my command over my physical sensitivities was consistently proven unreliable whenever I had to check if I have shifted the placement of my weight as required by a specific exercise or when I was given a little push or pull to check that I had sufficiently engaged my core during the training exercise. Why is training essential and why are the tests and challenges during the training crucial?
For Suzuki, training is not simply a matter of acquiring techniques, but cultivating a basic level of concentration, imagination, and capacity to perceive and manipulate physical sensibilities and action. Through disciplined, integrated development of the three physical functions, the performer’s body gains strength and agility, his or her voice acquires range and capacity, and an awareness of the other develops and grows; the expressive potency needed to transmit the actors’ fiction into the space and the audience intensifies. But Suzuki also cautions that training alone will not automatically bring the actor to the top of his or her art. What training can offer is a foundation of capabilities from which the actor can springboard into performance; just like the foundations an aspiring musician has to acquire before thinking about performing for the public, or the basic standard an aspiring athlete has to meet before being able to take part in any competitions. At this point, it is appropriate to return to young man’s question: why SCOT actors continue to train even after being in the company for many years. It should be sufficiently clear by now that the level of demand on the craft of a professional actor is not so dissimilar from the level of demand on the skill of a professional musician or a professional athlete. A certain level of capability and craft is expected of the actor who performs on the professional stage. To sustain a career on the professional stage, a professional actor, just like a professional musician or athlete, must continue training and practicing not just to maintain but to improve on his or her level of skills and craft. For a SCOT actor, as for any professional performer or athlete, the more advance one’s command of the craft, the more demanding and challenging the obstacles and tests one will have to overcome to improve on one’s level of craft. Cultures and narratives: some notes on the Dionysus, a co-production by Indonesia and Japan, Suzuki Company of Toga and Purnati Indonesia Stories and narratives are double-edged swords. Shared stories and narratives are effective tools for creating a sense of belonging, which also simultaneously give rise to a solidary that differentiates and excludes. Suzuki Tadashi’s Dionysus placed before our eyes the unfolding of such a circumstance: the simultaneous consolidation and exclusion of belonging, and the tragedy that follow. Such a story is highly relevant in the present age of globalization driven by instant communication, high-speed transportations, as well as instantaneous and massive capital flows. Similar looking shopping malls and housing blocks dot cities all over the world, while common technological tools such as smart phones, tablets, laptop notebooks,
apps and software permeate and dominate working and daily lives throughout the world. As daily lives become more alike (especially in urban cities) across the globe, the desire to protect and preserve one’s unique identity and relationship with a group gain urgency and momentum. Just as a mother bear would launch an attack in order to protect its cubs, selfpreservation can often turn into violence. Suzuki’s production of Dionysus with Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese actors offer hints of an approach one can take in the face of such a situation. First produced in 1978 as The Bacchae, the production was renamed Dionysus in 1990, and has become one of the classics in SCOT’s repertoire. In this version, in addition to Japanese and Chinese, the play is also performed in six Indonesian mother languages (Batak, Rejang, Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Manado). The different languages did not tussle onstage, neither did they sound uniform. What appears is a musicality that evolves out of the performers’ concentrated listening and dialogue of the different languages. A common challenge faced by multi-lingual production, as in multilingual negotiation, is that each language speaker focusses solely on his own speech, and is not attentive in listening and responding to the other language speakers who are sharing the same performance space, thus resulting in a co-existence of parallel tracks of languages that have no apparent interaction or interest in one another. What we perceived in this production of Dionysus is a musicality grounded in a deeply attentive listening and responding cultivated by the actors shared experience in Suzuki Method for Actor Training. Offering the theatre as platform, and the method as a medium, Suzuki brings together different actors and artists to engage in deep creative dialogues. These dialogues are perceivable in various aspects of the production, including acting, music, and costumes. Suzuki moved his theatre company from Tokyo to Toga in 1976 as a resistance to a phenomenon of centralization stemming from a certain Tokyo-knows-best mentality. For more than four decades, Suzuki has maintained and grown his base in Toga, which has sharpened his views from the margin. It is worth pointing out, in lieu of a conclusion, that Suzuki did not put forward a counter narrative of regions-know-best. Instead, with Toga as a base, he created and facilitated flows of dialogues, not only between central and region, but also among different parts of the world. Just as the performers who have undertaken this creative dialogue engage with their fictions and yearnings while they are onstage, it is perhaps apt for us to also take a moment to engage with our fictions and yearnings as we witness what is unfolding onstage. Lee Chee Keng Professor of Humanities (Theatre Practice) Yale-NUS College, Singapore
REHEARSAL IMAGES
Photos by Fendi Siregar. Courtesy of Purnati Indonesia 2018.
BIOGRAPHIES TADASHI SUZUKI Director Tadashi Suzuki is the founder and director of the Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT) in Toga Village, located in the mountains of Toyama prefecture. He is the organiser of Japan’s first international theatre festival (Toga Festival), and the creator of the Suzuki Method of Actor Training. Suzuki also plays an important role with several other organisations: as General Artistic Director of Shizuoka Performing Arts Centre (1995-2007), as a member of the International Theatre Olympics Committee, as founding member of the BeSeto Festival (jointly organised by leading theatre professionals from Japan, China and Korea) and as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Japan Performing Arts Foundation (2000-2010), a nationwide network of theatre professionals in Japan. Suzuki’s works include On the Dramatic Passions, The Trojan Women, Dionysus, King Lear, Cyrano de Bergerac, Madame de Sade and many others. Besides productions with his own company, he has directed several international collaborations, such as The Tale of Lear, presented with the Moscow Art Theatre; Oedipus Rex, co-produced by Cultural Olympiad and Düsseldorf Schauspiel Haus; and Electra, produced by Ansan Arts Center and the Arco Arts Theatre in Korea and the Taganka Theatre in Russia. Suzuki has articulated his theories in a number of books. Culture is the Body, a collection of his writings in English, was published by the Theatre Communications Group in New York. He has taught his system of actor training in schools and theatres throughout the world, including The Juilliard School in New York and the Moscow Art Theatre. Also, a book written on Suzuki titled The Theatre of Suzuki Tadashi was published by Cambridge University Press as part of their Directors in Perspective series, featuring leading theatre directors of the 20th century. This series includes works on Meyerhold, Brecht, Strehler, Peter Brook and Robert Wilson amongst others. Not just one of the world’s foremost theatre directors, Suzuki is also a seminal thinker and practitioner whose work has had a powerful influence on theatre everywhere. Suzuki’s primary concerns include: the structure of a theatre group, the creation and use of theatrical space, and the overcoming of cultural and national barriers in the interest of creating work that is truly universal. Suzuki’s activities, both as a director creating multi-lingual and multicultural productions, and as a festival producer bringing people from throughout the world together in the context of shared theatrical endeavour, reflect an aggressive approach to dealing with the fundamental issues of our times.
RESTU IMANSARI KUSUMANINGRUM Indonesian Producer Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum, an independent producer, has an extensive background both in Indonesia and abroad in her two major life-long fields of study: dance and theater performance and landscape architecture. As co-founder of the Bali Purnati Center for the Arts, along with PT. Bali Purnati as an independent arts production company, they have been striving to preserve, promote, present, and create new directions in the performing, visual and design arts. The Bali Purnati Center for the Arts is also a center devoted to the documentation – in words, pictures and film – of traditional and new artworks. The place-name Purnati, the exact site of this center, refers in the Balinese language to a “whole” or “pure heart”. She is a recipient of an Order “Ordine della Stella d’Italia” from Italian Government for her role in promoting cultural and social ties between Italy and Indonesia. Some of her notable projects among others are: Robert Wilson’s “I La Galigo”, Tadashi Suzuki’s “Dionysus”, Rahayu Supanggah’s gamelan odyssey “Sakti”, Yusril Katil’s “Under the Volcano”, Indonesian Pavilion in Venice Biennale 2013, and Heri Dono’s “Voyage-Trokomod” for Venice Biennale 2015. SUZUKI COMPANY OF TOGA (SCOT) In 1976, Tadashi Suzuki relocated his theatre troupe the Waseda Shogekijo, which for the previous ten years had spearheaded the new theatre movement in Japan from its home in central Tokyo, to Toga, a remote village in the mountains of western Japan. The move was in part an indictment of the overconcentration of political, economic and cultural institutions in Tokyo. Working from a thatched-roof house, built in the traditional “praying hands” or gassho-zukuri style, which the group had converted into a theatre, they renamed themselves the Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT). Since then the site has grown into a complex of lodgings, rehearsal rooms, and assorted performing spaces, including a studio theatre, a second gassho-zukuri theatre, a black box theatre, an outdoor “rock” theatre, and a spectacular lakeside amphitheatre. It is in these facilities and theatres that the company is run and follows the precepts of Tadashi Suzuki under his direction. Now approaching its 35th anniversary, SCOT holds singular status in Japan as a performing arts group, that in addition to fulfilling the artistic version of Suzuki on stage, demonstrates a high standard of excellence in the operation of
those places and performing spaces and enjoys the backing both the local and national government. Paradoxically, the move from the giant metropolis to the isolated mountain valley gained SCOT even more followers, who cherished the pilgrimage to this remote place as part of the total theatre experience. Moreover, following Suzuki’s notions of the universality of theatre, this special location played host for many years (1982–1999) to the Toga International Arts Festival, which offered concentrated workshops in the Suzuki Method of Actor Training created by Suzuki which was being learnt by performing artists throughout the world. The festival invited theatre companies from around the world to not only give performances but to live, work, and collaborate with each other. In the true meaning of the word “festival”, the diverse cultures of these groups were highlighted and celebrated. And while acknowledging each other’s cultural similarities and differences, the stimulus provided by such encounters spawned entirely new notions of theatre and undoubtedly many new forms of culture. The Toga village has also served as springboard for the international activities of SCOT. Many of the theatrical productions developed and performed in Toga have gone on to tour the globe. Since their first overseas performance at the Théâtre des Nations Festival in Paris in 1972, the company has performed in more than eighty cities in some thirty countries. In addition to offering a summer and winter festival, featuring performances by SCOT, Toga continues to serve as a centre for international research activities and for the training of practitioners in the performing arts, as well as an archive of documents and materials pertaining to the performing arts. PURNATI INDONESIA Bumi Purnati Indonesia In 2007, PT. Bumi Purnati was established in Jakarta as an independent arts production company that aimed to produce arts in various discipline. Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum, as the founder, is known for her dedication to art as an artist and as a manager or producer to both local and international art scenes. Under the partnership with Bali Purnati Center for the Arts, Bumi Purnati has produced and co-produced many notable projects, among others, Robert Wilson’s take on Bugis epos of “I La Galigo”, a collaboration of Kronos Quartet and Rahayu Supanggah for the World Masters’ Festival in Arts & Culture, Yusril Katil’s “Under the Volcano” for the 6th Theatre Olympics in Beijing and at Theatre Works Singapore in April 2016, and Rahayu Supanggah’s gamelan odyssey “Sakti: L’Armonia Del Cielo” participated at the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi 2013 and to perform again at the Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore in August 2014.
Bumi Purnati once again partnered with Change Performing Arts in Milan to bring Indonesia National Pavilion at the 55th International Art Exhibition la Biennale in Venezia 2013 to life. Titled “SAKTI”, the Indonesian Pavilion presented five contemporary artists: Albert Yonathan Setyawan, Eko Nugroho, Entang Wiharso, Sri Astari and Titarubi. In 2015, Bumi Purnati participated again in the 56th International Art Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia by presenting the world renowned contemporary artist Heri Dono in his work themed “Voyage-Trokomod”. Bali Purnati Center for the Arts The Bali Purnati Center for the Arts, known in Indonesia as Yayasan Bali Purnati, was founded in 2000 as an international non-profit cultural foundation dedicated to the preservation, promotion, presentation, and creation of new directions in performing, visual and design arts. Its activities include the documentation, in words and in pictures, of both traditional and new art works. The Center’s current emphasis is on the arts of eastern Indonesia, which have not enjoyed the visibility and international access as those from other areas of the country the “I La Galigo” project offers Bali Purnati an unusual opportunity to serve Indonesian arts, artists, scholarship and scholars on an international platform and it was quite an achievement; the performance toured the world for eight year. The foundation is located in the Batuan area of South Bali. Batuan is renowned for its classical and contemporary music, dance, painting, wood carving and stone sculpture. Within Purnati’s hectares of environmentally - conscious grounds and permanent facilities are a performing arts amphitheater, dressing rooms, an exhibition pavilion and facilities for artists-in-residence. Since its inauguration Purnati has hosted on-going projects focusing on traditional and contemporary dance, work seminars with artists from various regions of Asia, Europe and the USA. Its primary mission is to be an international multidisciplinary center for the creation and development of new work in the arts.
ABOUT DIONYSUS PRODUCTION THE ACTORS SCOT MEMBERS Chieko Naito (Japan) Tian Chong (China) Kito Risa (Japan) INDONESIAN MEMBERS Anwari Abdul Azis Pahar (Madura, East Java) Ari Dwianto (Jogjakarta, Central Java) Dian Nova Saputra (Trenggalek, East Java) Dwi Asti Wulanjani (Jambi, Sumatra) Hildawati (Makassar, South Sulawesi) Jamaluddin Latif (Jogjakarta, Central Java) Mohamad Aditia (Tasikmalaya, West Java) Sarah Nurmala (Jakarta) Seftino Alexandro Sambalao (Manado, North Sulawesi) Siti Dexara Hachika (Pontianak, West Kalimantan) Sugiyanti Ariani (Bandung, West Java) Washadi (Jakarta) Yelly Shinta Laras Utami (Lampung, Sumatra) Understudy Bangkit Sanjaya (Jakarta) THE SCRIPT LANGUAGES Japanese - Agave Mandarin - Pentheus Batak - chorus ‘The Priests’ Rejang - chorus ‘The Bacchae’ Jogjakarta-Javanese - Cadmus Banyumas-Javanese - Priest Madurese - Priest Manado - Priest Sundanese - Priest Japanese - Voice of Dionysus
THE MUSIC MUSIC COMPOSER Takada Midori SOUND ENGINEER Masahiro Yamada INDONESIAN MUSICIANS I Wayan Sujena (Bali) Misbahuddin (Solo, Central Java) Rika Faizal Rezza (Bandung, West Java) Taufik Adam (Jakarta) Rapai Pase Raja Buwah Aceh: Yusuf Bombang, Fauzi Ali, Tayuddin, Nazaruddin, Ardani, Saifuddin, Abdul Hanan, Zaini, Alwi M SPECIAL THANKS TO I Gusti Kompiang Raka for Gamelan equipment Nyoman Marda and I Made Sena as players THE COSTUME Tadashi Suzuki (Japan) Auguste Soesastro (Indonesia) THE WORKING TEAM SUZUKI COMPANY OF TOGA, JAPAN Tadashi Suzuki Shigemasa Yoshie Takemori Yoichi Shiohara Michitomo Kiyama Haruka Niwa Makoto Kobayashi Junya Mitsuda Toshimi Ueta Daisuke Saito Maki Sato-Johnson Aki Sonoda Shoko Members of SCOT INTERPRETER (CHINESE-JAPANESE) Fang Xin
THE JAPAN FOUNDATION ASIA CENTER Keiji Shono PURNATI, INDONESIA Restu I. Kusumaningrum I Wayan Sumada Wiwit Roswita Bambang Prihadi Tulus Wichaksono Ni Wayan Wartini Rhoda Grauer Henny Dasriyani Ade Rela Arya Kresna e.a. natanegara INTERPRETER (INDONESIAN-JAPANESE) Hanggardha Priyahita Anak Agung Iswara DOCUMENTATION TEAM Fendi Siregar Djajusman GRAPHIC DESIGN TEAM Oky Arfie Rully Jatmiko SPECIAL THANKS Observers Afrizal Malna Amien Kamil Seno Joko Dindon WS Radhar Panca Dahana Yusi Pareanom Murni Surbakti and Nancy Catrine Matondang (Batak coaching) PHOTO OF TADASHI SUZUKI COURTESY SUZUKI COMPANY OF TOGA Fendi Siregar Djajusman Dian P. Susilaradeya
WORKING SCHEDULE 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 2 & 3 Jun 2016 Jakarta, Indonesia
31 Aug - 14 Sep 2016 Toga, Japan 16 selected Indonesian actors have been invited to participate in the “Suzuki Method of Actor Training Program” (2 weeks)
23 Feb 2017 Jakarta, Indonesia Audition for Indonesian musicians with Japanese composer, Takada Midori. Candidates : 11 musicians. Result : 4 musicians & 2 music groups
SCOT and Purnati Teams have auditioned 48 Indonesian candidate actors
6 - 18 Dec 2016 Bali, Indonesia 16 Indonesian actors have participated in the further “Suzuki Methode” training and workshop program as final audition for actors. Result : 13 final selected actors who will be participating in the play (2 weeks)
10 - 16 Apr 2017 Parung, West Java, Indonesia Pre-Toga rehearsal (1 week)
19 Apr - 7 May 2017 Toga, Japan First rehearsal of Dionysus (3 weeks) Selection of Indonesian designer for costume
6 & 7 Jul 2017 Jakarta, Indonesia Music recording for Dionysus with Japanese composer, Takada Midori and the selected Indonesian musicians
29 & 30 Jun 2017 Beijing, China Selected Indonesian designer, Auguste Soesastro, has attended Dionysus’ performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts Beijing followed by costume meetings with SCOT
20 Sep 2017 Jakarta, Indonesia Press Conference
6 - 26 Oct 2017 Bali and Prambanan Jogjakarta, Indonesia Second Rehearsal of Dionysus (3 weeks)
7 - 22 Dec 2017 Parung, West Java, Indonesia Audition for Understudies and Intensive Training (2 weeks)
13 - 21 Jan 2018 Parung, West Java, Indonesia Suzuki Method Training & Rehearsal (10 days)
11-17 & 21-25 May 2018 Parung, West Java, Indonesia Rehearsal of Dionysus (Cadmus & Priests)
3 - 23 May 2018 Toga, Japan Third Rehearsal of Dionysus (3 weeks)
15 May 2018 Jakarta, Indonesia Press Conference and Discussion
5 - 9 Jun 2018 Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia Rehearsal of ‘Dionysus’ (Bacchae)
1 Aug - 2 Sep 2018 Toga, Japan Final Rehearsal (4 weeks)
24, 25, 31 Aug & 1 Sep 2018 Toga, Japan World Premiere at SCOT Summer Season 2018
18 - 30 Sep 2018 Bali & Jogjakarta, Indonesia Pre-Prambanan Rehearsal (2 weeks)
29 & 30 Sep 2018 Prambanan Temple, Central Java, Indonesia Special performances in Indonesia
4 Apr 2019 Jakarta, Indonesia Press Conference Dionysus to SIFA 2019
6 - 16 May 2019 Bali & Singapore Pre-SIFA Rehearsal
15 - 20 Jun 2019 Kurobe City, Japan
17 & 18 May 2019 Singapore International Festival of Arts 2019 Performances at Victoria Theatre, Singapore
Pre-Kurobe Rehearsal 21 & 22 Jun 2019 Kurobe City, Japan 12 & 21 Sep 2019 Kurobe City & Nanto City, Japan The 9th Theatre Olympics 2019 Performances
Performances
TICKET HOLDER PRIVILEGES
FLASH YOUR SIFA 2019 TICKET
TO ENJOY SPECIAL DEALS AT OUR PARTNER OUTLETS Empress
Kuro Izakaya
1 Empress Place, #01-03, Asian Cilivilisation Museum, S179555
3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-604/605, Suntec City Tower 3, S038983
10% off dine-in ala carte food and drinks purchased at EMPRESS.
Enjoy 15% off total food bill.
Esplanade Mall
OTC Café
Esplanade – Theatre on the Bay, 8 Raffles Avenue, S039802 Beware of Pity, ST/LL, Körper and Ryuichi Sakamoto ticket holders are entitled up to 15% savings on dining and shopping at Esplanade Mall on the day of performance. Visit www. esplanade.com for details.
House Pour @ Festival House
The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane, S179429 Chill out and soak in the festival buzz at House Pour. Enjoy a glass of signature Housepour cocktail or a serving of ancho chicken tacos at only $4.20nett and all other items at 15% off. In addition, complimentary premium ice cream in assorted flavours will be given out daily. (Limited to the first 30 guests each day)
JW Marriott Singapore South Beach 30 Beach Road, S189763
Enjoy 25% off at Beach Road Kitchen and 15% at Akira Back.
100 Victoria Street, #03-01 National Library Building S188064 15% off food and beverages.
Privé ACM
1 Empress Place, #01-02 S179555 10% off dine-in ala carte food and drinks purchased at Privé ACM.
The Naturally Better Company
9 Raffles Boulevard, #02-46, Millania Walk, S039596 5%* storewide discount and 20%* discount for 2nd pair of MELISSA shoes. *Discount not applicable on selected nett-priced brands and promotional items.
The NCO Club
32 Beach Road, S189764 Enjoy 15% off dine-in ala carte food and beverage (Cool Cats, Madame Fan, Stags Room & Fish Pool)
Kith Café
Bras Basah: 51 Bras Basah Rd, #01-03A Manulife Centre, S189554 Marina Square: 6 Raffles Blvd, #02-49 S039594 Enjoy 10% off dine-in ala carte items purchased at KITH CAFÉ (Bras Basah, Marina Square).
Capital Zouk
3C River Valley Road The Cannery, #02-02, S179022 Enjoy free entry into Capital Zouk before midnight.
For more Festival deals, visit sifa.sg. Unless otherwise stated, all promotions are valid till 2 June, Sunday. Not applicable with other promotions, discounts, vouchers and offers by credit or privilege cards. Ticket stubs presented must be in its original condition and e-tickets must be shown via electronic devices clearly. Management reserves the right to amend any promotional terms and conditions without prior notice. Merchants’ terms and conditions apply.
ABOUT SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS As Singapore’s annual pinnacle arts festival, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) presents captivating and diverse works across theatre, music, dance, film and visual arts. First launched as the Singapore Festival of Arts in 1977, the festival has gone through several evolutions and inspired generations of arts lovers and practitioners. Today, the highly-anticipated festival is a high-point on Singapore’s arts and cultural calendar. Under the helm of Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani from 2018–2020, SIFA continues its festival mission to champion the creation and presentation of Singaporean and international works.
ARTS HOUSE LIMITED BOARD Chairperson Christine Ong Members Chong Yuan Chien Deborah Ho Eduardo Ramos-Gómez Kelvin Ang Kenneth Kwok Lynette Pang Madeleine Lee Maniza Jumabhoy Mok Wei Wei Ong Chao Choon Ong Choon Fah Sarah Martin (Ex-Officio)
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS THE SIFA TEAM
Chief Executive Officer Sarah Martin Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani Chief Financial Officer Ng Soon Lee Head, Production Cindy Yeong Head, Marketing Jasmine Gan Assistant Head, Event Services Management Emma Izzabella Tagoe
PROGRAMMING Producers Sara Joan Fang Rydwan Anwar Ye Junmin Senior Manager Lisa Lip Manager Shridar Mani Assistant Manager Alicia Chong Festival Assistant Chong Xinyi
PRODUCTION
Production Manager Chan Silei Yo Shao Ann Production Co-ordinators Celestine Wong Melissa Chin Technical Co-ordinators Huang Xiangbin Ian Tan
Assistant Technical Co-ordinator Muhammed Muzzamier Bin Abu Bakar Production Assistants Chong Wee Nee Alexis Ho
MARKETING & TICKETING Senior Managers Elizabeth Wong Winnie Chan Managers Allison Lai Fiona Chua Senior Designers Hakim bin Rahim Md Firdaus bin Wari Executives Juliana Tan Shariffah Natasha Dinah Eriqah Azman Intern Chew Ying Ying
COMMUNICATIONS Manager Khairi Johann Jasmin Intern Jamie Buitelaar
PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Manager Norita Senin Executive Tan Yanru
EVENT SERVICES MANAGEMENT
Managers, Artist Logistics Carine Lee Syafiq Zulkepli Managers, Front-of-House Nura Osman Germaine Leow Manager, Back-of-House Hospitality Esther Goh Manager, Event Services Johnson Kee Manager, Special Projects and Operations Zalikha Mis’ari Executive, Front-of-House Kitty Kwan
FINANCE
Managers Vivian Gan Executives Aileen Ong Izyan Nooraini Bte Ramlee
HUMAN RESOURCE Manager Noraliza Ramli Senior Executive Elaine Neo
ADMINISTRATION
Centre Manager Lucas Chiew Executive Nor Limah Binte Ja’ffa
DON’T MISS
THESE OTHER PRODUCTIONS IN THE FESTIVAL ST/LL
KÖRPER
24 & 25 May, Fri & Sat Esplanade Theatre
31 May & 1 Jun, Fri & Sat Esplanade Theatre
Photo by Yoshikazu Inoue
Photo by Bernd Uhlig
PETER AND THE WOLF
BILL FRISELL TRIO
Silo Theatre (New Zealand)
featuring Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan (USA)
18 - 20 May, Sat - Mon KC Arts Centre Home of SRT
29 May, Wed Victoria Theatre
by Shiro Takatani, Dumb Type (Japan)
by Sasha Waltz & Hans Peter Kuhn (Germany)
Photo by Monica Frisell
THE MYSTERIOUS LAI TECK
CROWD
by Gisèle Vienne (France)
by Ho Tzu Nyen (Singapore)
1 & 2 Jun, Sat & Sun Victoria Theatre
17 - 19 May, Fri - Sun SOTA Drama Theatre Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles. Photo by Park Suhwan.
Photo by Barbara Braun/MuTphoto
DISPLACED PERSONS’ WELCOME DINNER
A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH: REVERIE
24 - 26 May, Fri - Sun Victoria Theatre
31 May - 2 Jun, Fri - Sun Drama Centre Theatre
Photo by Joel Lim @ Calibre Pictures
Performed in Mandarin with English and Chinese surtitles.
南柯一梦 之 如梦
by Checkpoint Theatre (Singapore)
by Toy Factory Productions Ltd (Singapore)
FREE PROGRAMMES AND MORE WE CAN DANCE
DE RELAXERETTE
Daily tous les jours, featuring ScRach MarcS (Canada/Singapore)
Arjan Kruidhof and Explore-the-North (The Netherlands) 12 – 20 May & 22 May – 2 Jun, Daily, Various timings The Plaza, National Library Building
10 May - 2 Jun Daily, Various Timings The Plaza, National Library Building
FOR FULL FESTIVAL LINE-UP, VISIT SIFA.SG Organised By
Commissioned By
Supported By
Held In
Matched By